Senior FO vs Junior CA
06-26-2022, 01:36 PM
#81
You scratched my anchor
Joined APC: Feb 2011
Posts: 4,876
Originally Posted by TheGodfather
You should be actively figure out what your backup job or income will be if you get furloughed. That is just pure common sense now. If you're doing it right before you lose your job after many years flying, then that's on you!
06-28-2022, 12:13 PM
#83
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2013
Position: B737
Posts: 1,204
My original plan was to ride out FO until I got my house built, then upgrade. But as the real estate market shot up, I realized I needed to produce extra cash (building a house always requires extra cash) so I upgraded. I was around 18-20% as a 320 FO in DFW. Life was good as far as QOL...I generally got what I bid for. Pay wasn't bad either. It just wasn't enough to rapidly accumulate savings.
I upgraded on the 737 in DFW. I'm about 89% right now. QOL isn't awful but it isn't what it was when I was a FO. I will say I enjoy being a CA. It's a lot more work, and all eyes are on you when tough calls need to be made, but there's some satisfaction in that. I'm able to hold LC most of the time (I commute...building a house so I don't have to commute). Weekends...what's a weekend? That's probably the worst part about upgrading...I used to get weekends off if I wanted them off, now I bid "prefer off" for weekends every month and get the occasional Sunday here and there but my wife has pretty much accepted that I'll only be off weekdays most weeks. I work most days I'm on call, but since I'm LC, I can proffer and often get trips I ask for, so I can control the pace to some degree. But if you plan on sitting on reserve and not working...that's not gonna work out well for you these days.
The choice to upgrade is really a personal one. I can only offer you the reasons why I did so. I think had I not needed to save money faster I probably would have remained a FO getting the trips I wanted, but I don't regret upgrading. WB FO is certainly another option, but honestly, I don't think you'll move up as fast on that list as you will as a NB CA, mostly because a lot of people move over there and stay put...but there's a reason for it...a lot of people like that job.
Good luck with whatever decision you make!
I upgraded on the 737 in DFW. I'm about 89% right now. QOL isn't awful but it isn't what it was when I was a FO. I will say I enjoy being a CA. It's a lot more work, and all eyes are on you when tough calls need to be made, but there's some satisfaction in that. I'm able to hold LC most of the time (I commute...building a house so I don't have to commute). Weekends...what's a weekend? That's probably the worst part about upgrading...I used to get weekends off if I wanted them off, now I bid "prefer off" for weekends every month and get the occasional Sunday here and there but my wife has pretty much accepted that I'll only be off weekdays most weeks. I work most days I'm on call, but since I'm LC, I can proffer and often get trips I ask for, so I can control the pace to some degree. But if you plan on sitting on reserve and not working...that's not gonna work out well for you these days.
The choice to upgrade is really a personal one. I can only offer you the reasons why I did so. I think had I not needed to save money faster I probably would have remained a FO getting the trips I wanted, but I don't regret upgrading. WB FO is certainly another option, but honestly, I don't think you'll move up as fast on that list as you will as a NB CA, mostly because a lot of people move over there and stay put...but there's a reason for it...a lot of people like that job.
Good luck with whatever decision you make!
06-28-2022, 12:55 PM
#84
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2020
Posts: 378
Originally Posted by Hueypilot
My original plan was to ride out FO until I got my house built, then upgrade. But as the real estate market shot up, I realized I needed to produce extra cash (building a house always requires extra cash) so I upgraded. I was around 18-20% as a 320 FO in DFW. Life was good as far as QOL...I generally got what I bid for. Pay wasn't bad either. It just wasn't enough to rapidly accumulate savings.
I upgraded on the 737 in DFW. I'm about 89% right now. QOL isn't awful but it isn't what it was when I was a FO. I will say I enjoy being a CA. It's a lot more work, and all eyes are on you when tough calls need to be made, but there's some satisfaction in that. I'm able to hold LC most of the time (I commute...building a house so I don't have to commute). Weekends...what's a weekend? That's probably the worst part about upgrading...I used to get weekends off if I wanted them off, now I bid "prefer off" for weekends every month and get the occasional Sunday here and there but my wife has pretty much accepted that I'll only be off weekdays most weeks. I work most days I'm on call, but since I'm LC, I can proffer and often get trips I ask for, so I can control the pace to some degree. But if you plan on sitting on reserve and not working...that's not gonna work out well for you these days.
The choice to upgrade is really a personal one. I can only offer you the reasons why I did so. I think had I not needed to save money faster I probably would have remained a FO getting the trips I wanted, but I don't regret upgrading. WB FO is certainly another option, but honestly, I don't think you'll move up as fast on that list as you will as a NB CA, mostly because a lot of people move over there and stay put...but there's a reason for it...a lot of people like that job.
Good luck with whatever decision you make!
I upgraded on the 737 in DFW. I'm about 89% right now. QOL isn't awful but it isn't what it was when I was a FO. I will say I enjoy being a CA. It's a lot more work, and all eyes are on you when tough calls need to be made, but there's some satisfaction in that. I'm able to hold LC most of the time (I commute...building a house so I don't have to commute). Weekends...what's a weekend? That's probably the worst part about upgrading...I used to get weekends off if I wanted them off, now I bid "prefer off" for weekends every month and get the occasional Sunday here and there but my wife has pretty much accepted that I'll only be off weekdays most weeks. I work most days I'm on call, but since I'm LC, I can proffer and often get trips I ask for, so I can control the pace to some degree. But if you plan on sitting on reserve and not working...that's not gonna work out well for you these days.
The choice to upgrade is really a personal one. I can only offer you the reasons why I did so. I think had I not needed to save money faster I probably would have remained a FO getting the trips I wanted, but I don't regret upgrading. WB FO is certainly another option, but honestly, I don't think you'll move up as fast on that list as you will as a NB CA, mostly because a lot of people move over there and stay put...but there's a reason for it...a lot of people like that job.
Good luck with whatever decision you make!
06-28-2022, 01:03 PM
#85
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2013
Position: B737
Posts: 1,204
Originally Posted by Armyguy
every weekend? Sorry man
